Products and services come and go, but your name will always
remain intact. If you're ready to gain the trust, respect, and
recognition in your niche that leads to opportunities, traffic,
and sales, grab onto this powerful branding secret that YOU can
use to make a name for yourself online.

1. Always, ALWAYS include your full name. Whether
you include it at the end of your post or just in the "Post
By..." field, get it in there somewhere. I was born lucky—a
name like Rebekah Nahai isn't one you see every day. The branding
effect is almost natural.

But if you go by 'Mary', 'Joe', 'Tim' etc., or some other common-place
name, who's going to remember this Joe from that Joe? They won't.

"Joe Loewenthal", on the other hand, is more memorable.

2. Use your photo. After I began using my picture
in my forum posts, my click-throughs to my website jumped by 600%
and my newsletter subscription rate knocked my socks off at an
800% increase. Photos are now an "online business staple"
for me. Next time someone hears my name, they'll associate it
with my face. Powerful.

3. If your name is perceived as a "normal name", like
Bob Smith or John Miller, consider using your middle initial in your posts. An example is Jimmy D. Brown...

4. Forget the "screen name mentality". Those names you used to use in chat rooms and message boards,
like NeatGuy and FunGirl45? Only fun communities may remember.
Trash 'em for business.

No one will know who you are, regardless of how many times you
post. Not to mention it comes across as amateur and less-than-serious
in a business sense.

5. You have your own flavor, so fire it up. Are you sarcastic by nature? Great! Tactfully show it in your
posts. Are you gushing with generosity? Let it shine through.

The worst posts are those dry, drab paragraphs that make you
think, "Sheesh, was there a person on the other side of that?"
People love personality. They love opinions. Eventually your 'flavor'
will stick in their heads.

Go ahead. Take action on this information while it's still fresh
in your mind. Dig up some active discussion forums related to your Internet business and start branding
yourself now—without spending a cent!

Rebekah Nahai is one marketer who has built her online business from ground
zero via forums! She is a moderator of 2 popular forums, one by
Phil Wiley and one by Mike Merz.

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Inside this 92-page report is a social media marketing blueprint proven to generate more traffic and leads with the latest Web 2.0 strategies. It focuses on 2 hot aspects of Web 2.0: social networking and content propagation. It also suggests resource links to Web 2.0 scripts and tools and how you can employ Internet Marketing techniques to convert visitors from social networking sites.

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